The present invention relates to a technology which is effective when applied to a sputtering deposition technique for a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (or semiconductor integrated circuit device).
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-266347 (Patent Document 1), a process and a device are disclosed in which, after the completion of a process of forming a device element such as a diode over a top surface of a wafer, grinding or the like is performed on the back surface of the wafer to thin the wafer, and then sputtering deposition and a heating process are performed on the back surface of the wafer. A wafer holder used therefor includes a ring-shaped quartz lower holder for supporting the surface of the wafer from below, and a plurality of wafer pressing claws for pressing the periphery of the wafer from above. Over the wafer, a sputtering target is disposed and, under a circular opening in the quartz lower holder, a lamp for a heating process is disposed.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-5271 (Patent Document 2) and International Publication WO 2005/124848 Pamphlet (Patent Document 3) corresponding thereto, an annular SiC susceptor used for a heating process on a wafer or the like is disclosed. The portion of the susceptor for supporting the wafer has an upwardly protruding curved cross-sectional shape.